Cross-members of the aforementioned type are intended to be mounted inside the bodywork of a motor vehicle. The lateral ends of the beam are accordingly fixed to what are known as “A” pillars of the bodywork and the lower end of the knee brace is fixed to the floor of the vehicle.
In order to perform this assembly operation, the cross-member is introduced into the bodywork of the vehicle via an opening in the bodywork.
In order to reduce the overall size of the cross-member during its introduction into the bodywork, the movable part of the knee brace is held in its retracted position by a detachable pin, which joins the movable part to the stationary part and forms the holding means.
Once the cross-member has been introduced into the vehicle, the pin is withdrawn and the movable part of the knee brace is displaced toward the floor of the vehicle, then fixed to the floor. The stationary part and the movable part are then fixed to each other using an additional screw.
A structure of this type is not entirely satisfactory, as there is a risk that the retaining pin between the stationary part and the movable part may become dislodged in the vehicle once the cross-member has been mounted on the floor.
An object of the invention is to solve this problem by providing a cross-member of the aforementioned type that limits the risk of one or more components of the holding means becoming lost in the vehicle.